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Dieppe Veterans' Memorial Park
Colonel James Forsyth, Honorary Colonel
The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry
The dedication service of the Dieppe Veterans' Memorial Park took place on Tuesday, 19 August 2003 at 2 p.m.
Click to View Photos from the Event
On 19 August 2003, the 61st Anniversary of the Raid on the French port of Dieppe in 1942, the City of Hamilton will dedicate the Dieppe Veterans' Memorial Park to the 582 soldiers of The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) who stormed ashore that fateful morning. In a nightmarish battle which lasted about eight hours, The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (RHLI), which landed on the main beach opposite the Casino, lost 197 soldiers killed, had 174 taken prisoner, and only had 211 of the original 582 return to England, with 109 of them wounded. The soldiers fought gallantly but in hopeless cause as the landings were late and the element of surprise was lost. Naval and air bombardments of the town were also cancelled by the planners to reduce the possibility of casualties among the French civilians of the town.
The battle, although a tactical defeat, did teach the Navy, Army and Air Force planners many valuable lessons which were crucial to the success of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France on 6 June 1944.
The dedication of the Memorial Park this year to our veterans and especially to those who died in 1942 in the cause of freedom and liberation from Nazi occupation is a fitting tribute by the City of Hamilton. It will be a living memorial for the sacrifice and dedication of the men from Hamilton and surrounding communities who served Hamilton and Canada so well in this great battle.
The Memorial Park itself is located on Beach Boulevard at Manor Avenue near the Canal Lift Bridge and it will be about 3/4 of an acre in size. The main entrance will be from the Waterfront Beach Trail that goes from the Canal Lift Bridge to Confederation Park. On both sides of the entrance walkway will be large stones that are similar to those on the beach at Dieppe. At the top of the walkway will be a low wall to simulate the seawall at Dieppe. Inside the low wall will be the Ceremonial Plaza with a curved wall containing the names of the 197 soldiers of the RHLI who died that day, and also the names of other Hamiltonians who died at Dieppe while serving with other units. On the reverse side of the curved wall will be the names of all the units that took part in the Raid along with the number of casualties of each of the units.
The RHLI Veterans' Association, the City of Hamilton Veterans' Committee, the Dieppe Veterans' Memorial Park Committee and The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) all appreciate the efforts of Mayor Robert Wade and the members of City Council of the City of Hamilton for their interest and support in bringing this project to fruition. It will ensure that the memory of our fallen veterans will not be forgotten by future generations of Canadians and citizens of Hamilton.
The Dieppe Veterans' Memorial Park Committee was established in September 2002 and is comprised of the following members:
Chairman:
Chief Warrant Officer (Ret) Jack McFarland, EM, CD, Dieppe Prisoner-of-War
Vice Chairman:
Don Booker, President RHLI Veterans' Association
Members:
Colonel James Forsyth, OStJ, CD, Honorary Colonel RHLI
Major Stuart Chapman, SBStJ, CD, RHLI Senate
Frank Caldwell, CD, Chairman Hamilton Veterans' Committee
Sgt. Billy Field, Dieppe Prisoner-of-War
Ed Neuman, Administrator RHLI Heritage Museum
Mr. Robert Norman, Manager City of Hamilton Open Space Development
Mr. Arnis Budrevics, Landscape Architect.